Photo courtesy of FARE

Halloween is supposed to be a fun, all-inclusive holiday for aspiring trick-or-treaters everywhere, and thanks to the Teal Pumpkin Project, kids with severe food allergies can get in on the door-to-door fun, too. Food Allergy Research and Education, or FARE, started the project in 2014 as a way to allow kids with food allergies to take part in trick-or-treating. People are encouraged to put teal pumpkins outside their doors to indicate they offer non-food items.

Some suggested items to give out include glow sticks, small toys, stickers, noisemakers, or pencils, which can be given out in addition to candy that may be harmful to some children. FARE recommends glow sticks and bracelets in particular, as children can wear them the rest of the night and be more easily seen by motorists. Some items to avoid include moldable clay, which can contain wheat, and items with latex in them. If you plan on giving out candy in addition to the non-food items, it’s recommended you keep them in different buckets just to be safe. Last year the project had participants in all 50 states, as well as 14 countries around the world, according to FARE. To find out more about the Teal Pumpkin Project, click on the link below.

http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project?gclid=CKDqz5nl-88CFQKsaQoddZYDSg#.WBJfFvldXwo